The leak of the Labour manifesto is either further evidence of the leadership’s utter incompetence, or speaks volumes about the deep divisions further opening between the Far Left and the rest of the Party. If it was a strategic leak; it shows the leadership’s ineptitude as it gives the Conservative party time to hone its response. If it was leaked out of mischief it is surely a deliberate act of sabotage by the anti-Corbyn wing; either way it’s more evidence for the pile that Labour is not fit for government… and that’s before we even discuss the contents of the draft manifesto.

Corbynite Labour would renationalise energy, rail and Royal Mail. It would impose wage caps on business, raise taxes for everyone earning over £80,000, increase corporation tax to 26% and greatly empower trade unions to reverse many of the reforms implemented by Margaret Thatcher via a “Labour Act”. Before you know it, we’re back to mass strikes, power mad union barons, and everyone feeling compelled to pay fees in order to get a say in their wages, with their contributions being funneled into the Labour Party coffers.

The spending commitments come thick and fast to underpin the Leftist la la land that Labour now inhabits:

Free school meals for all

Free Further Education for all

Tuition fees abolished

Double paternity leave

Welfare cuts reversed

The pensions triple lock maintained

£6bn extra in annual funding for the NHS

£8bn over 5 years for social care

3000 more prison staff

10,000 more police officers

Increased public sector pay

A publicly funded set up of a National Investment Bank to fund £250bn infrastructure spending,

And, of course, don’t forget the money for the nationalisation programme

How will it all be paid for? This is never adequately explained, and in any case, we know how this story ends. Corbyn has promised that there will “be a reckoning”; and that means a clamp down on business and the wealthy. The idea is to “take back” the wealth from the fat cats and business can give it back to “the people”. His supporters will be cheered by this but as business flee the country along with the rich and the wealth creators, investment will also dry up; as economic growth grinds to a halt and we hit a recession that quickly falls into a full blown crisis, what then?

Failure. Corbyn’s Britain could only end in failure; as we know from every single socialist experiment that has ever taken place. It would not end well. We at Conservatives for Liberty are unashamed economic Liberals; we believe it is the best route to prosperity. This manifesto doesn’t meet us half way; it repudiates everything we stand for.

Beyond the economic catastrophe are a plethora of other bad policies. Our nuclear deterrent would effectively be neutralised, the voting age would be reduced to 16, rent controls will be introduced despite the sound evidence that they don’t work and lead to bad outcomes and, as for Brexit; a pledge to roll over and pay whatever the EU demands and withdraw any implied threat to walk away ensures we make ourselves a supplicant in negotiations.

It has been said that the Theresa May’s brand of Toryism is a difficult time for the economic Liberals in the Conservative Party. Yet right now all energies must be focusses on defeating the alternative, which is naked Socialism. The Far Left want to turn Britain into Venezuela; it’s imperative that this proposal is decisively defeated at the ballot box.

In what sense is economic liberalism a guaranteed route to prosperity? And is that prosperity for all, including those not able to command any or a good wage because of health, lack of skills or sheer bad luck?